John 14:1-31-Jesus and the disciples are together for the Passover. He is teaching them for the last time. He bases this teaching on the reality of Who He is, God…not a representative of God, not a godly man…but God, Himself. Having established that criterion, He begins with the command that they are to receive His teaching with the same authority as that which is of God. When this is done, then they will be confident and secure no matter what happens.

John 14:1-Jesus had just told them that He would soon be leaving and that initially they would not be able to go with Him (13:36). This had obviously disturbed Peter (and the rest of the disciples)…because as of yet, they did not understand what was going to happen.

Jesus now settles their hearts by telling them 7 things:

First, He tells them where He is going (14:2).

Second, He tells them that one day they too will be there (14:3).

Third, He tells them that He will personally take them there (14:3-6).

Fourth, He tells them Who He is (14:7-11).

Fifth, He tells them that His ministry, instead of being over, will continue through them (14:12-15).

Sixth, He tells them that until they join Him in Heaven the Holy Spirit will be with them on earth (14:16-26). He will continue the ministry of Jesus by disclosing the truth to them, abiding with them, and comforting them.

Seventh, He tells them that because He has revealed to them what will happen in the future it will give them peace in the present (14:27-31).

John 14:2-6-Jesus tells them that He is going to the Father, to Heaven…and that while there He will be making preparations for them to join Him. At a future time He will personally return for them and take them there. To relieve their anxiety even more, He tells them that they don’t need to worry about how to get there, because whether they realize it, or not, they already know. This confuses Thomas and he responds that if they are uncertain about the location of where He is going, how could they possibly know how to get there? Jesus now clarifies what He has been teaching. He is the way to Heaven…the way to Heaven is not a path, but a person. He is the way that leads us to the Father, the truth we need to know about the Father, and the life that comes from the Father…the means, the objective, and the result.

John 14:7-15-Jesus makes the strongest, most direct and clear statement concerning His relationship to the Father that He has ever made and says that His words and His works should lead us to believe in Him. When we see Jesus, we see the Father. He says to Philip, “You ask me to show you the Father. Have I been with you all this time and you still do not realize that when you see Me you see the Father?” The words that He speaks originate with the Father and the evidence of this are the works, the miracles that He has performed. And, if we believe in Him, we shall do “greater” (more, additional) works, because He is going to the Father and is leaving the responsibility for the continuation of His ministry in our hands. When we ask (pray) in His name (according to His will; cf. 15:7), He will answer that prayer so that the Father will continue to receive glory through Him. We show our love for Him when we keep His commandments…and as a result, the Father will love us and then Jesus will disclose Himself to us (:21).

John 14:16-26-The word “disclose” carries more significance than someone being given the facts about Jesus. It speaks of a spiritual revelation that is the result of a believer’s obedience to the will of God and God’s abiding presence in that believer’s life (:23).

Disclose:

from en, “in,” intensive, and phaino, “to shine,” is used, either of “physical manifestation,” Mat 27:53; Hbr 9:24; cp. Jhn 14:22, or, metaphorically, of “the manifestation of Christ” by the Holy Spirit in the spiritual experience of believers who abide in His love, Jhn 14:21. It has another, secondary meaning, “to make known, signify, inform.” This is confined to the Acts, where it is used five times, Act 23:15, 22; 24:1; 25:2, 15. There is perhaps a combination of the two meanings in Hbr 11:14, i.e., to declare by oral testimony and to “manifest” by the witness of the life.

This unique disclosure is reserved exclusively for the believer who is lovingly obedient and faithful (:19,21-24). Judas (not Iscariot) asked why Jesus would disclose Himself to them, but not to the world. Jesus says that it is because the world has not loved (accepted) Him. When the Holy Spirit comes He will teach them all things and it will become clear to them, then (:26).

Once again, to alleviate the concerns of the disciples over His departure, Jesus tells them that they will not be left behind like orphans (children whose parents have left and deserted them), but that the Holy Spirit will “abide” in them (:17,23).

Notice that while the word “abide” makes reference to a place (i.e.-He lives in the believer), it also makes reference to a continuation. When Jesus leaves there will be no break in His presence with them because the Holy Spirit will continue in His place. Again, Jesus is comforting His disciples (cf. 14:1) as He tells them that He will physically not be present with them much longer.

Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as…“another Helper” (:16). There are two words in Greek that are translated into English as “another”. One speaks of something that is similar to the original, the second speaks of something that is the same as the original. Here, Jesus uses the latter word…the one that speaks of another of the same kind…meaning the same as Himself. The word “helper” means…

Comfort, Comforter, Comfortless:

lit., “called to one’s side,” i.e., to one’s aid is primarily a verbal adjective, and suggests the capability or adaptability for giving aid. It was used in a court of justice to denote a legal assistant, counsel for the defense, an advocate; then, generally, one who pleads another’s cause, an intercessor, advocate, as in 1Jo 2:1, of the Lord Jesus. In the widest sense, it signifies a “succorer, comforter.” Christ was this to His disciples, by the implication of His word “another (allos, “another of the same sort,” not heteros, “different”) Comforter,” when speaking of the Holy Spirit, Jhn 14:16. In Jhn 14:26; 15:26; 16:7 He calls Him “the Comforter.” “Comforter” or “Consoler” corresponds to the name “Menahem,” given by the Hebrews to the Messiah.

John 14:27-31-Jesus tells them one more time that He is about to leave…but to not be afraid…because He is in control even of the upcoming events…and He will come back. The reason why He is telling them these things is so that when they happen…it will strengthen their belief in Him.

Prayer: Lord, there is so much here…Your identity with the Father, our love for You shown through our keeping Your commandments, the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit, Your control of everything that happens, You departure and return, our faith that results from trusting You…so much! Please Lord, I need verse 26…”the Helper, the Holy Spirit…will teach you all things”. Please help me to understand everything that is in this chapter because I realize how important these truths are. Teach me to abide, to obey, and to believe.

Share this:

Like this:

LikeLoading...

Related

Published by Dr. Jim Pennington

Senior Pastor at Temple Church in New Bern, North Carolina
Dr. Jim Pennington grew up in central Florida where he enjoyed sunshine, the surf and fresh squeezed orange juice. He attended the University of Florida where he accepted Jesus Christ and married Patty. He went on to graduate at Palm Beach Atlantic College, then received a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry from Luther Rice Seminary. He has been serving in the ministry for over 40 years, most of that as a Senior Pastor. He and Patty have traveled the world together on vacations and mission trips from the Bahamas to Guatemala to South Africa to Tanzania to Israel to France to Italy to England and about a dozen more countries. They have flown in hot air balloons, fixed wing gliders, the Bud One Airship, and all kinds of airplanes. He says, "I would rather spend time with her than anyone else in the world." They have a daughter, Courtney, who lives with her husband and three boys in the Tampa, Florida area and a son, Jeremy, who lives with his wife, two boys and a daughter in Palmer, Alaska. He has a passion for hiking, hunting, fishing, scuba diving, skiing, zip lining, snow machining and pretty much anything outdoors. Dr. Jim Pennington says, "The reason that I love nature so much is because everywhere I look, I see God's fingerprints."
View all posts by Dr. Jim Pennington